Rachel Sasaki had only been standing at the street corner for a few minutes when a bunch of men started drifting toward her. Among them were several middle-aged guys with lecherous eyes—though since it was broad daylight, they didn’t dare get too bold. Even so, those creepy, greedy glances from the corners of their eyes were enough to make Rachel’s skin crawl.
But what really surprised—and embarrassed—Shawn Young was that even with his mask on, making him look like just a regular guy, his tall, burly frame and signature mustache gave him a mature man’s charm. He ended up attracting admiring glances from quite a few young Japanese housewives. One lovestruck lady was so busy staring at him that she walked straight into a vending machine, making Luna Xiao and May Gu giggle behind their hands.
Just then, a black Toyota pulled up beside them. The door swung open, and out popped a big, beefy man in his forties with a receding hairline, a sleazy grin, and ears that stuck out like satellite dishes.
As soon as he got out, he made a beeline for May Gu, greeted her, then turned to Luna Xiao with a respectful smile. "Boss Xiao, you’re finally here! My neck’s been aching from waiting so long for you… hehe!"
"Thanks for waiting, Master Zhou," Luna Xiao nodded coolly.
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all! Boss, it’s your first time in Japan, so it’s my honor. I’d wait all day if I had to, haha…" This chubby guy was clearly Tony Zhou, the Thirteen Enforcers’ division leader in Japan.
"Master Zhou, we’re here in Japan for something important, so we’ll need your help gathering intel," May Gu said.
"Oh, got it, I understand… And these two are?" Tony Zhou nodded, his gaze landing on Shawn Young, then moving to Rachel Sasaki. His eyes lit up.
"They’re not part of the Thirteen Enforcers, but they’re my good friends," Luna Xiao replied.
"Ah, Boss Xiao’s friends—then you’re honored guests! Haha… Name’s Tony Zhou, welcome to Japan!" Tony immediately stepped forward, shook Shawn Young’s hand, then quickly reached out to Rachel Sasaki. "Hello, gorgeous!"
"Hello..." Rachel Sasaki nodded politely at him but didn’t take his hand.
"Heh… You’ve got spirit, gorgeous! I like that…" Tony Zhou got totally shut down and had to pull his hand back, but he didn’t look embarrassed at all.
Rachel just rolled her eyes at him, speechless.
May Gu giggled from the side. "Hehe… Master Zhou, you still haven’t changed your habit of hitting on every pretty girl you see. Looks like you finally struck out, huh? Haha!"
Tony Zhou blinked, rubbed his half-bald head, and sighed, "Ah… May, you know, if I still had a full head of hair like back in the day, the pretty ladies would be coming up to chat with me! Sigh…"
May Gu giggled again. "Well, you’re always prowling nightclubs and bars, chasing skirts, and now you’ve packed on the pounds. No wonder the ladies aren’t interested!"
Tony Zhou shrugged, looking helpless. "Hey, it’s part of the job! In our line of work, if you don’t hang out in those places, how are you supposed to get the good intel? Besides, the locals here love to talk business in those kinds of joints!"
May Gu snorted. "Hehe… You’ve got an excuse for everything. Honestly, the last Boss Xiao put you in charge here not just because you’re good at it, but also to keep you busy with your playboy ways. If you’re not happy, just tell the boss—maybe you’ll get sent back to the mainland!"
Luna Xiao chimed in, "Yeah, Master Zhou, if you really want a transfer, I’ll consider it. You were one of my father’s trusted men, so your opinion matters to me…"
Tony Zhou’s face changed. He quickly waved his hands. "Uh… Boss, no need for that! I’m used to working here, starting over somewhere new would be tough—plus, I’m not exactly young anymore. I’ll just stick around in Japan and do my job!"
"Alright, Master Zhou, you’ll stay in Japan for now. We’ll talk about everything else later," Luna Xiao said.
"Sure, sure…" Tony Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, hopped back into the Toyota, started the engine, then stuck his head out and said, "Hehe, everyone, hop in! We can talk more back at the house. This is a no-parking zone—don’t want the cops to give us a ticket."
May Gu frowned. "Uh, you’ve only got one car—how are we all supposed to fit?"
Tony Zhou shrugged helplessly. "Hey, Boss Xiao wanted to keep things low-key here in Japan, so I brought the most boring car I could. How about this—May, you know the way back, right? Why don’t you drive Boss Xiao and our lovely guest, and I’ll just take the bus with this young man?"
"Oh, that works. Shawn, you okay with taking the bus back?" May Gu asked.
"No problem. I’ll just treat it like sightseeing," Shawn Young shrugged, totally chill.
To everyone’s surprise, Rachel Sasaki chimed in too. "Sounds good! I want to try the bus, too!"
Tony Zhou’s expression changed. He got serious. "Uh… Miss, I really think you should ride in the car!"
"Why?" Rachel Sasaki asked, curious.
"Look, you see all those Japanese guys staring at you? They look like they want to eat you up! Plus, Tokyo buses get really crowded, and if some creeps or train pervs snap your photo, that’d be bad news…" Tony Zhou said, not realizing Rachel was actually Japanese.
Rachel Sasaki looked confused. "Uh, what do you mean by ‘goldfish creeps’? And what’s with these train perverts you’re talking about?"
Tony Zhou slapped his forehead and quickly whispered, "Well, you see, Japanese guys are famous for being horny. Don’t let their polite daytime act fool you—there are tons of weirdos here. At night, they really let loose, it’s like a freak show! Honestly, it’s hard to explain, but just know that Japanese men are super pervy, and they’ve got all sorts of tricks. Sometimes, I just can’t compete!"
"Are Japanese men really that bad? Seriously…" Rachel wasn’t too happy hearing Tony trash-talk her countrymen.
Just then, Tony Zhou spotted a police car heading their way. He quickly got out and said, "Miss, you’d better get in the car! If the cops give us a ticket, we’ll all be stuck taking the bus."
Rachel shot him a look. "No need! Worst case, I’ll just cram onto the bus. It’s not that far anyway…"
Tony Zhou, worried about getting a ticket, said helplessly, "Alright, whatever you want. May, you take Boss Xiao back, and I’ll go catch the bus with them."
"Okay…" May Gu didn’t argue. She and Luna Xiao hopped into the car, waved at the others, shut the window, and drove off.
Once they’d left, Tony Zhou grinned at Rachel Sasaki, then patted Shawn Young on the shoulder and whispered, "Hehe, looks like we’re really taking the bus today. With a knockout like her, we might just run into one of those infamous train pervs. There’s plenty of them in Japan."
Shawn was about to ask what he meant when Rachel came over, naturally grabbed his hand, and pressed her curvy, springy body right up against him. She pouted, "Hmph, what are you two whispering about over there?"
"Nothing, nothing, gorgeous… Sorry to make you take the bus with us, but it’s just a few stops. Most of our people are in the Ikebukuro area, and the folks from the mainland are mostly over in Shinjuku. Anyway, there are plenty of Chinese here in Tokyo, so you won’t feel out of place." Tony Zhou quickly changed the subject.